I'm not a hundred percent sure if WG will let me say this but eff it, if WG where to implement frontlines as a game mode today, with the maps theyve released for it, I don't think anyone would complain, beyond minor tweaks to economy.

I've played mostly tier 8 tanks since the 9.18 update. With the new matchmaker tier 8's are getting shit on. Over 50% of my battles in tier 8 tanks are tier 10 battles and 15-20% of tier 8 tank battles are tier 8 battles. The whole "Preference of placing a player at the top/middle of the team list, if they have already played several battles at the bottom of the team list." is a lie.

The jury is still out for me regarding the new MM. Last night practically every time I tried playing in a tier 8 I was thrown into a tier 10 battle.
And arty can still go fuck itself imho. The splash radius and stun are just another toxic mechanic. However, the biggest problem is that arty can still do all this with impunity with almost no fear of retaliation. That is the biggest problem with it which apparently WG is oblivious to.

Arty shots landing a full tank length away from my heavy tanks are still stunning my crew for 12-15 seconds. That's completely broken. A complete miss over 30 feet away from my tank stuns my crew for 15 seconds? How is that not a completely broken game mechanic? Why are we rewarding players that miss their target by over 30 feet after arty accuracy and aim time were buffed.

The arty re-balance shifts from a high variance, all or nothing mechanic...to a more consistent but lower top end damage mechanic. Anyone who thought it would make them useless misunderstood the changes. In the hands of a talented player, they will be much more consistent. You also get time to react/change what you're doing if you get focused. Class is more balanced AND more powerful (on average).
Good change!